Chicken Story Time

Chicks, chickens, hawks and all kinds of birds showed up to visit with us during this week’s Cook Library story time. Amy read a bunch of chicken stories, brought out some of our little library bird friends and then took us to her farm to visit with her own chickens! We saw them drink and scratch and take baths! Following their lead, we crowed and flapped and scratched, and wondered what we might find by scratching around in the dirt in our own yards.

Extend story time into your week:

Let the kids lead-When you’re outside with your kids, rather than suggesting specific activities to them, try wondering aloud and see what type of activity engages their imagination: “I wonder if we’re the only creatures out here? How could we find the tiny friends who might live in our yard? I wonder what a chicken would find if she scratched in this dirt?”

Use our whole bodies-If your kids find some little creatures, share your own observations about how a bug moves. Wonder if they could move that way.

Model curiosity and compassion-Tell your kids that together you could watch the bugs move around in a big bowl or jar (for a short time) to be sure that these tiny bug friends feel safe and not too scared.

Why this type of play is important-When we stop and notice who shares our space, we not only deepen learning through looking, feeling and listening, but we also develop curiosity, observation, focus, compassion and self control.

Next week:

Who likes to hide? We’ll read, think and play with the idea of hiding and finding. Amy will explore eggs and let the kids do some searching for eggs in the library. Polly will introduce a fun way to share kindness and care with our neighbors, even while keeping our physical distance.

A helpful resource:

The tidal wave of “helpful resources” available to us can be overwhelming, so we’ll be selective in our recommendations. Teacher Tom is a play-based preschool educator with a blog filled with easy to digest wisdom and easy to implement ideas. “There are Plenty of Things to Worry About Right Now: Your Preschooler’s Education is Not One of Them” briefly reassures parents that they can relax! http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2020/03/there-are-plenty-of-things-to-worry.html

He’s also got a youtube series of videos with advice for parents of preschoolers specific to this time of crisis.

We can’t wait to see you next week!

Amy and Polly

Email amy@tamworthlibrary.org to ask for an invite to our storytimes, weekly on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. on Zoom.